The Xs and Os behind the Utah Jazz’s 4 biggest plays against the Orlando Magic

The Utah Jazz put a metric ton of time and effort into winning late-game situations.

Perhaps head coach Will Hardy’s most reliable film-watching habit is watching the end of every close game in the NBA. On the plane, in his spare time, and even in the final hour before the game begins, he’ll spend time watching what each team runs in clutch moments. He feels it’s the best way to understand what’s going on with a team.

It’s also worth looking at what the Jazz run in the final minutes of the game, especially after a contest like the Jazz played on Thursday night — a 115-113 defeat to the Orlando Magic.

Let’s look at the four biggest possessions: How the Jazz took the lead, gave up the lead, and then couldn’t earn it back.

Markkanen’s three

This is a good example of how Lauri Markkanen gets late-game shots right now. It’s a transition play, and as the Magic have to fan out, center Wendell Carter Jr. ends up on Markkanen. But Markkanen doesn’t really feel comfortable beating him one-on-one in isolation right now from so far out (see last article), so he instead starts backing up, to give one of the guards a ball for a dribble handoff.

But Talen Horton-Tucker does well here. He sees Markkanen needs help, correctly identifies that he’s going to have space to drive with Carter on the perimeter, and then makes the early read to Olynyk in the corner. Perfect.

The Magic overreact, and Markkanen’s wide, wide open at the top of the arc. He’s the Jazz’s best shooter. Cash. It’s beautiful spacing from the Jazz to find that play so quickly in transition like that, and the three of Horton-Tucker, Olynyk, and Markkanen do everything well.

Banchero’s game-winner

Now, the Magic have the ball with 19 seconds left. One stop, and the Jazz likely win the game. The Jazz did not get that stop.

We’ll let Hardy explain:

“The last basket that Banchero scored, when he catches the ball, there are three players on the left side of the floor and Franz Wagner is in the right corner. We’ve got to do a better job communicating that that ball has to get sent left. There are three people over there and we’ve got to do a better job as a team communicating to the person guarding the ball, who was John [Collins] in this case, the ball has to get sent left. [Jalen] Suggs is in the corner, and a two or three beats you at that point, and we needed to show a little bit more help off of Suggs.”

In particular, that’s Markkanen. The Jazz have done that a lot this season — put the 7-foot Markkanen on the opposing team’s worst shooter and hope that he can become a defensive-roving playmaker. Against the Clippers, for example, they had Markkanen guard the poor-shooting Russell Westbrook. Suggs is a career 27% 3-point shooter, so it’s the same idea.

But he’s not a real natural at the concept at this point — he just hasn’t spent much time in his NBA career as a marauding, free help defender. So when Banchero starts his drive, Markkanen’s way too close to Suggs. Instead, he should probably be about where the X is in this picture:

Yes, that means Suggs is wide open for the kickout — but that’s exactly what the Jazz want, especially on a one-point lead possession. As Hardy notes, the two or the three both beat you, so getting the 27% shot is a good idea. Is Suggs really going to feel confident nailing a three with Markkanen closing out? I’m skeptical. And if he drives, the Jazz will have plenty of help in the paint.

Instead, it’s a great drive, but a simple one, from a very good player in Banchero.

Talen Horton-Tucker’s miss

Again, let’s go to Hardy for analysis:

“That play had four options on it. The first one was John curling, very first look if he’s open. The second one is Lauri on the back screen. I think he probably was open if we had thrown a lob, it’s a long pass based on where Jordan caught it. They did a good job pushing the catch out. But you know, once Lauri didn’t get anything off of that back screen on the weak side where he can bump back if he wants to, we just try to give Lauri that whole side of the floor to play off the back screen of the point guard. And then if not, Jordan [Clarkson] swings it and chases it and he has the whole side to be a screener to slip out.”

“I think our guys executed well. I think once Jordan drove it, it looked like his teammates thought he was going to shoot and so the three guys on the weak side all crashed. Our spacing was gone and Talen was the only outlet at the top. You know that being said, Talen got a really clean look at the three and just missed but I think overall, you know the guys went through the progression pretty well.”

So ...

Option No. 1: John Collins on the inbound pass going to the rim. I don’t think he’s open for an easy look, so it makes sense to go to Clarkson on the outside.

Option No. 2: Markkanen on the back screen. This, I think, is an example of a time where the Jazz miss having elite passing guards and wings — there’s no question that Markkanen is actually open for this lob, and a good passer gets it there. As Hardy notes, it’s not an easy pass, but a good passer can make it — and win the game for the Jazz.

Option No. 3: Markkanen circling back to the ball. This is what would have happened if Markkanen wasn’t open for the lob ... but he was, so he gets too far under the paint. And Clarkson just sprints into Option No. 4 before Markkanen has time to get back to the perimeter.

Option No. 4: Clarkson gets the ball as a slip-out screener. Honestly, this works too: Clarkson’s one-on-one against Franz Wagner, who he pretty easily beats. But the Jazz’s spacing is so iffy once he gets by that Clarkson can’t get all the way to the rim.

Could the Jazz have taken advantage of that? I think they could. My preference would be that one of Olynyk or Collins stays out on the perimeter as a weak-side outlet for Clarkson at that point. But they’ve also been instructed on the play to crash the glass, and Clarkson usually shoots it once he gets by his man, so you see why it happens.

Regardless, it is a good look for Horton-Tucker. The problem for the Jazz is that he’s also a poor shooter — he has a 28% 3-point success rate in his career. For the same reason the Jazz would have preferred a Suggs shot in the Magic’s final possession, the Magic preferred a Horton-Tucker shot in the Jazz’s final possession, and the miss made all the difference.

Final Jazz inbound

The game wasn’t quite over yet. With the foul and subsequent Magic trip to the line for two free throws (making one), the Jazz had 1.3 seconds to tie or win the game late. Instead, they turned the ball over.

First, notice that the Jazz put Keyonte George in for this play. I think you could make the case that he should have been in for the play with 14 seconds left too, but also remember that Horton-Tucker had just made an excellent drive and pass to give the Jazz the lead ten seconds prior ... so I understand the decision to stick with him. With 1.3 seconds left, though, you just need your best shooters on the floor.

Second, note that the Jazz almost “false start” on this play. That is, they start running the play before the referee has given Olynyk the ball. Hardy expressed frustration with the officials after the game for beginning to hand the ball to Olynyk, then pulling it back, then handing it again. (That’s not really visible on video, but it’s also hard to tell from this back angle.)

The timing is all skiwampus as a result ... but the Magic defend the play pretty poorly anyway. They absolutely blow the switch between Clarkson and Markkanen on the back side, meaning that Clarkson’s open up top first, then Markkanen down low late.

But there’s a third player open, too: George. Magic rookie Anthony Black is way too aggressive on George there, and so George just cuts inside. If he gets a good pass, he probably has time to get all the way to the rim, or at least get a great look at a game-tying shot up.

Olynyk just scuffs the pass, though, just chucking it below Banchero’s outstretched arm at the feet of George. To be honest, it’s kind of a rookie mistake from the veteran, but maybe the delayed timing on the play made Olynyk antsy.

Final thoughts

What’s the biggest thing I learned from the breakdown? Well, it’s about how the Jazz can get Markkanen more involved late.

First, some of that is on Markkanen himself: He doesn’t make the defensive play he could have at the end of the game. Hardy is trying to make him into a roving shot blocker/chaos creator, and he needs to do that.

On the offensive end, though, his teammates simply need to look his way more often. The Jazz had opportunities to get the ball to him twice on lobs in the final 15 seconds. Clarkson could have also delayed his screen run, giving Markkanen time to circle back up for the ball. Instead, after Markkanen hit two consecutive threes to give the Jazz the lead, he didn’t touch the ball again.

Markkanen’s skills mean that he probably can’t have the ball in his hands late on every possession, Donovan Mitchell-style. But when there are opportunities to find their best player, they need to — and it could have gotten them a win tonight.